Opening Prayer
Lord, let Your Word waken and enlighten us to believe in You in spirit and truth. Amen.
Text: John 3:27-36
John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Devotion
John the Baptizer is very endearing in his sincerity and humility. Here we again see how lowly he considered himself. He wants to have no glory for himself, and he doesn’t want to gather people to himself. He confesses that he is of the earth, but Jesus is from heaven. He rejoices that the Bridegroom has the bride, and turns all people from himself to Jesus. Yes, the Baptizer was a man to be loved and admired, but we would be working against his spirit if we would stop with him and be enamored with his beauty. Not John, but Jesus! John cannot give us life, but Jesus came from heaven with life for us, the children of death. No one could lift himself from sin and death, if God had not had mercy on us and let His Son become Man. Before we knew it, He had decided to give us His only-begotten Son as Savior. Who could bring Him down from heaven if He Himself had not come? No, God be praised, He is here and has won the human race, the daughter of Adam as His bride. For by His blood He has redeemed us all from the power of the prince of death.
Life has conquered death and now is present in the Gospel, inviting everyone. All who believe the Gospel have it in their heart. So already there is a new race of Adam, a new and true humanity: the Christian Church. And by the Means of Grace in the Church God works faith in more and more hearts. No one can believe on his own, but the Son gives us the Holy Spirit in the Church’s Word and Sacraments, and creates faith in all who do not stubbornly resist Him. You can no more believe or receive the Spirit on your own than you could bring Christ down from heaven. But as the Son has come, sent by the Father, so also the Spirit has come, sent by the Father and the Son. Therefore no one can say: “I surely would believe, but I cannot.” On your own you cannot, but the Holy Spirit calls you by the Gospel and enlightens you with His gifts.3 By His grace you can believe in Christ with the true and living faith of a contrite heart.
So be terrified by your unbelief, and ask God for faith. All who from the heart indeed desire from the Lord grace to believe have already begun to believe and have received a portion in Jesus Christ’s kingdom of grace. Heavenly gifts are given to you there: righteousness, peace, joy, life, and salvation – everything in Jesus Christ, who Himself is the life of a believing soul and infinitely more glorious than all other gifts.
Closing Prayer
O God, we sincerely pray You: Give us faith, the true, living faith in our heart, that we may belong to Your Son’s Church and have life in His name. Amen.
Hymn
When Jesus comes, O blessed story!
He works a change in heart and life;
God’s kingdom comes with pow’r and glory
To young and old, to man and wife;
Through Sacrament and living Word,
Faith, love, and hope are now conferred.
Then stilled are cries and lamentation,
Then loosed is Satan’s ev’ry band,
In death is hope and consolation,
The soul is safe in Jesus’ hand:
When we shall walk through death’s dark vale
His rod and staff shall never fail.
O may He soon to ev’ry nation
Find entrance where He is unknown,
With life and light and full salvation
That heathendom may be o’erthrown,
And healing to the hearts may come
In heathen land and Christian home!
Landstad: When sinners see their lost condition L 124:4-6 ELH 111:4-6 tr. O. H. Smeby;
tune: Wer weiss